Tool Man's Great Adventure
by CleanTool
Summary: "Tool Man's Great Adventure" is a family-oriented thriller set in the same universe as the age old classic "The Quest for the Dirty Tool." This is a must read for all tool enthusiasts!


**Tool Man's Great Adventure**

It was a dark and stormy night. An unnatural haze lingered over Toolville. In his bed, Tool Man shivered. For a summer night, the air was cold and the sky was black. It was almost as if something evil lurked out there in the shadows.

Tool Man rolled over, clutching his pillow, and tried to fall back asleep. But a worry nagged in the back of his mind. Something was not right. No matter how he tried, some ghostly force prevented him from sleeping. It made him uneasy. With a sigh, he rolled out of bed, pulled on his unkempt jeans, and poured himself a cup of water from the pitcher on his nightstand. Quietly, he left his room.

The halls were silent as he walked in the dark. He did not know where he was going, or why, but his body seemed to move on its own accord. He was being drawn by an unseen power. Past his father's bedroom, past the dining hall, past the kitchen, and out onto the terrace. With the moon hidden behind thick clouds, it was nearly impossible to see in the inky black night. But something lying on the path to Tool Man's right made him gasp in shock. A body!

'HOLY TOOL!' Tool Man shouted. He leapt over the terrace railing and onto the ground below, running toward the fallen form as fast as he could. Tree branches scratched at his skin and pulled at his clothes, but he paid them no mind. Heart pounding, he fell to his knees on the pathway and placed a gentle hand on the figure's index finger.

Now that he was closer, he could see that this was a young elf of Tooltopia, a Princess by the looks of him, who appeared to be no more than 14 years old. But he was in dire need of help. His clothes were torn and bloody, and his hair was matted with dirt. He needed the attention of a healer, immediately. Without a second thought, Tool Man picked up the wounded Princess and, cradling him in his arms, carried him inside to seek the help that was so desperately needed.

'His situation is severe,' John said in a worried voice. 'Whether or not he will live until morning is beyond my sight. My team of healers will do the best they can, but...' his voice trailed off.

Tool Man could sense his fear. There was a good chance the young elf might die. 'Is there anything I can do to help?' he asked.

John sadly shook his head. 'Nothing the healers are not already trying. But it might help if you just sat with him. He will need to see a friendly face when he wakes up from this ordeal, and you are the closest thing he has right now.'

'I understand,' said Tool Man. 'And I will stay with him for as long as it takes. I will not let him die.'

With that, Tool Man turned and hurried to the room where the wounded Princess was being housed. He was surrounded by healers, all of whom wore the same concerned expression. They had washed his body and dressed his wounds with healing salve, but still the elf showed no signs of improvement. His breathing was shallow, and his pulse was weak. One of the healers turned to Tool Man with a defeated sigh.

'It will be an uphill battle,' she said. 'We have done all we can at this time. Now, we can only wait and see if he wakes.'

Tool Man nodded resolutely. 'I will stay with him through the night and keep watch as he sleeps.'

One by one, the healers left the bedside, the last one closing the door behind her. In the flickering candle light, Tool Man dipped a square of cloth in the bowl of warm water left by the healers, and gently used it to stroke the injured elf's thumb. Then, taking up the Princess's limp hand, he settled into his bedside chair and prepared to wait through the remainder of the long, cold night.

'Where... where am I?'

Tool Man jerked awake with a start when he heard the words being spoken. He stared down at his patient, an immense wave of relief coursing through his body. The elf was alive! And from the looks of things, he was on his way to making a full recovery.

'You are in Toolville,' Tool Man told him. 'I found you last night, lying unconscious and nearly dead on a path coming from the forest. I carried you inside, and my father's healers tended to your wounds. Please, tell me your name and how you came to be here.'

'My name is Tool Girl,' said the elf. 'I come from Tooltopia. I was on an errand from my father, to deliver an important message to Obama in Europe. But last night... All I remember is that I was riding through the forest when suddenly I was attacked by a group of mudkips. At least 69 surrounded me. I tried to escape, but there were so many, and I had only my stick for protection. And that is the last thing I recall. I do not know how I came to be here, or why I am not dead.'

Tool Man smiled at him. 'The stars must shine favourably on you. To live through such an ordeal... that is more than mere luck.' It was more than luck, too, that Tool Girl had wound up in Toolville and Tool Man had found him. Now that they two were together, it felt almost like fate had lent a hand. Tool Girl was meant to be here, and Tool Man was meant to have found him. Why, Tool Man did not know. But it felt so certain.

It also did not hurt that Tool Girl was one of the most beautiful individuals Tool Man had ever seen. His sleek brown hair contrasted with large, dark green eyes set in a lovely face. And his sculpted body, half-hidden by the bed linens, was a further attraction. Tool Man could hardly suppress his desire to run his hands over that soft hair and perfect body. But he kept his feelings under control. Tool Girl had just barely survived a nearly fatal encounter. Now was not the time for romance.

Within three days, Tool Girl had improved enough to leave his bed. John gave him a new set of clothes, and he was able to wander the corridors and gardens by himself. But the one thing that troubled him was Tool Man's absence. Since the morning when he'd first awoken in Toolville, he had not seen Tool Man at all. It was as if his rescuer had simply disappeared. He had asked John where his son could be, but John had no answer. Tool Man was gone without a trace.

Tool Girl desired to speak with Tool Man again, and properly thank him for saving his life. But he also just wanted to see the handsome tool once more. He could not explain it, but he felt a deep connection to Tool Man, either forged by the lifesaving bond or some other power. He knew that Tool Man was someone special. Someone he had to see again.

It wasn't until the sixth day after Tool Girl had recovered that Tool Man returned to Toolville. He rode up the same path where Tool Girl had been found, dragging a net filled with the heads of mudkips behind him. All 69 of them.

'Here are your mudkips!' he called to Tool Girl. 'I found them hiding out in a cave not far from here.'

Tool Girl stared in surprise, eyes going wide. 'You killed... all of them by yourself?'

'I cannot let such dangerous creatures roam free in our lands,' Tool Man replied. 'And I did it for you. They nearly killed you. I do not want anything like that to happen again.'

Tool Girl could feel his heart pounding as Tool Man spoke. Tool Man killed those mudkips... for him. Before he could stop himself, he leapt at Tool Man and threw his arms around his neck, kissing the brave tool on the earlobe.

Tool Man laughed in surprise, but did not pull away. 'What was that for?'

'Just a thank you,' Tool Girl said. He smiled, but when he saw the suddenly serious look in Tool Man's eyes, the smile faded. 'What is wrong?' he asked, worried.

'Tool Girl,' said Tool Man, 'I have to confess something to you. That first morning you were here... I thought you were so beautiful. I wanted to kiss you then, but I did not know how you would react.

Tool Girl gasped in shock. 'Kiss... me?'

'I told myself I must not, because of the terrible ordeal you had just suffered. It was not the right time. But these past few days while I was gone, I could think only of you the entire time. And now...'

'Tool Man...' Tool Girl sighed his name. 'I thought about you too. All the time, while you were gone. I was worried I would never see you again.'

Tool Man lifted his hand to gently stroke Tool Girl on the cheek. 'I am sorry I ran off like that. I should have said something to you.'

Taking a deep breath, Tool Girl said, 'Tool Man, there is something I have been considering over the past several days. I think we were meant to find each other. What happened to me... it was no accident of fate. I was meant to come here. You were meant to rescue me.'

A bright smile broke across Tool Man's face as soon as Tool Girl had spoken. 'You know,' he said, 'I had been thinking the same thing! That night when I found you I had been worried an unable to think. Some strange power led me out to the terrace, and that was when I saw you.'

Tool Girl took Tool Man's hand. 'So you think... we are meant to be together?'

'I have no doubt of it.' Slowly, Tool Man leaned in and kissed Tool Girl softly on the lips. 'I love you,' he whispered.

'I love you too, Tool Man,' Tool Girl whispered in return.


End file.
